Chinese phrase
因为〜，我来晚了！ yīn wèi 〜 wǒ lái wǎn le
Meaning
I arrived late because ___!
When to use it
This phrase gives a reason for arriving late. It is a simple reply to a question about lateness, and the tone is usually casual and slightly apologetic.
Example dialogue
你怎么迟到了？ nǐ zěn me chí dào le
Why were you late?
因为起晚了，我来晚了！ yīn wèi qǐ wǎn le wǒ lái wǎn le
I arrived late because I got up late!